FEB. 2023
La Plata Family Center Coalition Newsletter
EDITION #1
2022 Successes
LPFCC would like to thank our community of supporters who aid us as we continue to empower and provide people with access to services through our many programs. In the 2021-2022 year, LPFCC programs and events have been able to provide 1,446 individuals with 17,490 services across 606 families.
The Together We Grow Program across 5 primary gardens allowed us to distribute 10,697 pounds of fresh produce and 235 families to receive regular deliveries of fresh produce throughout the growing season.
La Plata Family Center has had several successful events in the past six months, our top three highlights include the Back-to-School Drive, Turkey Drive, and the Holly Jolly Toy Drive. The Back-to-School Drive allowed 268 children access to school supplies. Our Turkey Drive in November enabled us to serve over 175 meals and feed over 600
people.
We later got to enjoy the end-of-year holidays with the Holly Jolly Toy Drive. During the dissolution of Project Merry Christmas in 2020, the La Plata Family Center absorbed the privilege to serve families in La Plata, Archuleta, and San Juan counties. Every year we have had an increase in the number of children we serve during the toy drive and this year it was over 560 children. A special thanks goes out to our sponsors who all helped make these events the successes that they continue to be.
Program Highlight
One of the valuable programs we have at LPFCC is the Colorado Community Response Program (CCR). Working in partnership with the Archuleta County Department of Human Services CCR aims to increase a family’s own protective capabilities by linking them to services, case advocacy, and connecting them with valuable resources. The CCR program is designed to provide family navigation services as a practice for preventing child maltreatment and strengthening family functions.
CCR provides access to concrete services in times of need and assists clients in accessing both formal and informal systems and resources to meet those needs. Housing insecurity is often a great source of distress and one of the many areas within which CCR can help people find and make connections. Included within the program is access to Flex funding, which assists clients with immediate stressors such as past due payments including rent and utilities.
As people gain access to such valuable things as affordable housing, they can continue to become advocates for themselves with the assistance of our team as they strengthen and continue to further their lives.
V I S I T O U R WE B S I T E F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N
(970) 385-4747 | 495 FLORIDA RD, DURANGO, CO 81301 | HTTPS://LPFCC.ORG/
FEB. 2023
La Plata Family Center Coalition Newsletter
EDITION #1
Coming Up
Our successful events of 2022 help us look forward to those that will come in the new year.
February at LPFCC Women & Body Image: Body Love February 17 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
YOU are always deserving of LOVE and RESPECT, especially from yourself so join Dr. Mary Katherine and Judy Bierma (Yoga Teacher) for a FREE evening within a loving community of other women. Join us for a light dinner at 5:00PM Child Care will be provided. Bring your daughter and receive a special gift! Registration required – please register online or call for assistance.
March at LPFCC
Coping and Stress Relief Techniques March 17 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm This Mental Health Training is for anyone who struggles with stress, anxiety, or feelings of panic. Join Dr. Mary Katherine and Judy Bierma (Yoga Teacher) to learn practical tools you can incorporate into your daily life at this FREE event where all are welcome. Join us for a light dinner at 5:00PM Child Care will be provided. Registration required – please register online or call for assistance.
Staff Highlight – Christina Knickerbocker Title: Food Equity Supervisor and Parent Leader Coordinator
Christina Knickerbocker is one of the many incredible staff members who allow the Family Center to operate as smoothly as it does on a daily basis. She holds the title of Food Equity Supervisor and Parent Leader Coordinator as she reaches “out to people who are in the same boat [she] used to live in,” as a low-income single mom, “and not only know how they feel but give them resources they need.” Christina started at LPFCC as a client trying to regain her footing before giving birth. Christina said that “during Covid, the staff learned I was regularly delivering food to my neighbors.” Of her own volition, she was performing the role of a parent leader who gets “food and resources out to neighborhoods all over our region.” When she learned of the Parent Leader Program it was not much longer until she was hired in 2020 to help coordinate the effort. In a life filled with so many abrupt turns, Christina would title her book “Plot Twist,” because this is what her life has been filled with. With continuous twists and turns, it is amazing to see how the Family Center truly supports families which has been evident through her continued experiences. Christina’s daughter is a frequent face at LPFCC and is always involved, wanting to help people with food from the pantry, a handmade card, giving farm tours, and playing with the children who visit the Center. “My daughter is growing up in love with service to others, and I couldn’t be happier.”
V I S I T O U R WE B S I T E F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N
(970) 385-4747 | 495 FLORIDA RD, DURANGO, CO 81301 | HTTPS://LPFCC.ORG/
